NEW YORK (Reuters) - Traffic was so bad in 10 major U.S.
cities that 27 percent of the drivers surveyed gave up and went
home in the past three years, a study said on Friday.

Some 66 percent of the motorists said they would change how
they commute if gasoline prices rise to $5 a gallon.

The two most popular gridlock-busters were working from
home, an option selected by 30 percent of the drivers, and
improved public transportation, also favored by 30 percent of
driver, according to IBM, which said it polled 4,091 drivers in
its May survey.

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Some 91 percent said driving was their main form of
transportation for trips other than work or school. In
addition, 68 percent get to work or school by car.

More than 75 percent of the motorists said every wasted 15
minutes behind the wheel cost them $10 to $20, for an average
of $73.22 an hour, according to the survey.

"Driving is unpleasant, if not downright dangerous, on
roads choked with cars driven by frustrated, tired, and angry
commuters," IBM said, saying problems ranged from poorer work
performance to less family time.

IBM, a technology services company, said it conducted the
study to help it devise ways to cut gridlock, including
automated tolling, real-time traffic prediction, congestion
pricing and route planning.

Los Angeles drivers were the angriest, at 36 percent, and
also had the highest score of 9.6 on a pain index based on
factors such as commuting time.

Atlanta ranked second on the pain index, followed by Miami,
Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, San Francisco, New York,
Washington, D.C., Boston and Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Atlanta had the longest commutes, at 19 miles and taking 35
minutes. That was 3 minutes longer than it took to drive the
average 16.7 mile commute. Minneapolis had the shortest commute
at 28 minutes for 15.2 miles.

The most common frustrations were start-and-stop traffic,
at 37 percent, followed by aggressive/rude drivers, at 24
percent. Aggressive drivers annoyed 35 percent of the Miami
drivers but only 18 percent of the New Yorkers.